Sunday, July 29, 2012

THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

Link to The Beading Gem's Journal

Van Cleef & Arpels Opens a Jewelry School

Posted: 29 Jul 2012 04:00 AM PDT


Earlier this year, an unusual jewelry school opened in Paris. It's not the usual kind of workshop you could go to for these are classes presented by one of the world's top jewelry houses.


Van Cleef and Arpels was founded over a century ago has a storied clientele that includes the rich and famous such as the Rothchilds, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco, Marlene Dietrich, Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve.

Their sterling reputation rests on their exquisite work with gemstones. They pioneered and patented an innovative gemstone paving  technique which shows no visible claws or prongs. One of their most iconic designs dating back to 1950 has to be the zip necklace which opens and closes just like a real zip. 


Their latest venture, the L'Ecole Van Cleef & Arpels opens the door to jewelry lovers who wish to learn more about of fine jewelry making.  The head of the school, Marie Vallanet-Delhom, says it is all about  "passing on, sharing and teaching knowledge."

The school is not meant for professionals but for keen amateurs.   It is much like going to a wine tasting if you adore wine.  Indeed, the school was inspired by such classes. Vallanet-Delhom said, "Teaching oenology is similar in many ways. Whereas technical schools train sommeliers, introductory courses are available to individuals keen to develop their tastes, to find words to express their sensations and to satisfy their curiosity."

jewelry school
Salon for classes

There is some classroom instruction but as this video shows, students get plenty of amazing hands-on experience in the workshop.



The classes are taught in English and French.  They are structured around 3 themes - Unveiling (aesthetics and gemology), Shedding Light On (jewelry history and craftsmanship) and Revealing (workshop visit).

There are 7 modules, each lasting 4 hours. The instructors are experts in their fields including a jeweler, art historian, gemologist and so on.  The cost is between $750 - $1200 depending on which modules are taken.

The school is located in a beautiful 18th century townhouse right on the historic square called Place Vendôme. 


Via and via

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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips 
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Saturday, July 28, 2012

THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

Link to The Beading Gem's Journal

Easy Double Ended Wire Wrap Loop Jewelry Tutorial

Posted: 28 Jul 2012 04:00 AM PDT


Guest Tutorial by Judy Larson
Beginner Series

Once beginners master wire wrapped loops, another step is to learn to make loops on either side of a bead.  This makes it possible to join such beads together, with or without jump rings.  The tutorial shown here is another one in the beginner series by Judy Larson.  She gives free jewelry making classes called "Wire Magic".


The practice of making a number of these double ended will make the wire wrapping more even and also sit close to the beads. Judy also shows that connections can also be made with handmade rings - the orbital ones she taught in an earlier tutorial.


  • More about Judy here.
  • Please check this past post on How to Download Free PDFs from Scribd for instructions on how to transfer Judy's tutorials directly to your computer or mobile devices. It has been updated to also include information for Apple devices, Android phones and Kindles. 
  • Email and RSS subscribers need to click on either the tutorial link below (to download directly from Scribd) or the post title to return to the blog for downloading from the embedded tutorial.
Easy Double End Wire Wrapped Loop Jewelry Tutorial

More Tutorials by Judy
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips 
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